Trends in Tidal Waters

Description

Each year, the Chesapeake Bay Program, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, Old Dominion University, District of Columbia Department of Energy and the Environment, and Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments work together to produce Chesapeake Bay-wide summaries of water quality trends in tidal waters. These annual estimates of nutrients, dissolved oxygen, water clarity and other parameters at more than 150 monitoring stations help measure the health of the Bay and its response to management actions. The latest results are summarized in the 2024 Tidal Trends Summary and illustrated through a series of maps, listed below. Additional data can be viewed in the baytrendsmap and Watershed Data Dashboard.

Maps

Long-term Change

These maps document observed changes in water quality by station from the beginning of the time period to 2024. The beginning of the period varies for stations but is indicated in the bottom right corner of the map.

Long-Term Flow-adjusted Change

These maps document changes in water quality by station computed under the condition of average freshwater flow into the Chesapeake Bay over the long-term. This approach answers the question, "What would the change in water quality have been if flow had been average?"

Short-term Change

These maps document observed change in water quality by station over the last 10 years (2015-2024).

Short-term Flow-adjusted Change

These maps document changes in water quality by station computed under the condition of average freshwater flow into the Chesapeake Bay over the last 10 years (2015-2024).